With five different champions in seven years, no division in college football can match the pure unpredictability of the SEC East. Last year was Missouri's turn; the Tigers followed Georgia (2011-12), South Carolina (2010), Florida (2008-9) and Tennessee (2007).

A division recently defined by parity – or an inability of one team to put a stranglehold on the top spot – should see more of the same in 2014. Each contender has issues to address: Missouri has gaps up front, Georgia has a new defensive coordinator, Florida has a new offensive coordinator and South Carolina is retooling offensively with a new starting quarterback.

It's just another year in the SEC East. Here's how the division looks as we cruise through spring drills.

Five topics:

1. Florida's offensive reboot. The Gators averaged 4.79 yards per play last fall, 110th in the FBS, and finished no higher than 12th in the 14-team SEC in total, rushing, passing and scoring offense – finishing last in total and scoring. Ex-coordinator Brent Pease didn't survive the inevitable purge; in his place steps former Duke assistant Kurt Roper, who has grand plans of lifting Florida's bullet-less offense into the top half of the SEC.

2. Missouri's defensive line. The Tigers' largest personnel concern is at defensive end, where Gary Pinkel and his staff must replace Michael Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and Kony Ealy, a first-team all-conference pick who opted for the draft after his junior season. If these losses rob Missouri of some significant star power, last year's reserves – Shane Ray and Markus Golden – seem poised for a breakthrough. With solid experience in the middle – Lucas Vincent, Matt Hoch and a pair of sophomore return – Missouri might only need time to work into a 2013-like rhythm up front.

3. An overhaul at Tennessee. Come September, a significant portion of Tennessee's roster will come from February's recruiting class. How quickly can Butch Jones get a somewhat overhauled roster on the same page? The answer will decide the speed with which Jones turns around a program starving for a return to SEC contention after a half-decade in the wilderness. The top priority on Jones' to-do list? Renewing a quarterback competition that will decide the effectiveness of a quarterback-friendly offense.

Tennessee coach Butch Jones appears to have things headed in the right direction entering his second season as the Volunteers' coach.(Photo: Randy Sartin, USA TODAY Sports)

4. New scheme for the Commodores. That new Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason is installing a 3-4 base defense shouldn't be surprising; he does come from Stanford, after all. One of the keys to making this system work is finding flexible, athletic linebackers to use on the outside. One option, Caleb Azubike, seems like a natural edge rusher. Another potential starter, Kyle Woestmann, has shown an ability to get to the quarterback in bunches – notching two sacks against Mississippi and Texas A&M in 2013.

5. It's Thompson's turn at Carolina. While Dylan Thompson doesn't have Connor Shaw's ability to extend plays with his legs – nor the former starter's ability to will South Carolina forward despite a smorgasbord of nicks, dings, bruises, strains and sprains – he will give the Gamecocks' offense a more balanced feel in the passing game. The Gamecocks might be more balanced, period; while Bruce Ellington is gone, Thompson will be joined on offense by a handful of experienced receivers and likely all-conference back Mike Davis.

Five players we'll be talking about:

1. Kentucky QB Drew Barker. Perhaps the gem of the finest recruiting class in school history, Barker seems to possess the leadership skills Stoops and the staff desire from the quarterback position.

2. Missouri WR Dorial Green-Beckham. With the league's best off to the NFL, Green-Beckham clearly stands as the SEC's most dangerous receiving target in 2014 – and should be viewed as a borderline Heisman Trophy contender.

3. Georgia OT John Theus. After failing last fall to build upon a solid true freshman campaign, the time is now for Theus to live up to his five-star billing.

4. Tennessee OT Dontavious Blair. With no returning starters up front, Blair could quickly grab a starting job on the outside during the spring.

5. Vanderbilt WR Jordan Cunningham. Someone has to step into the void left by Jordan Matthews' departure. As the most experienced returning option, Cunningham, if only a sophomore, seems ready to take on a larger role in the offense.

Coaching changes:

1. Vanderbilt. Out is James Franklin, who left for Penn State along with much of his SEC staff. In comes Mason, a Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw disciple with the pedigree to match his new position. Mason's offensive coordinator is former UCLA coach Karl Dorrell, while former Stanford linebackers coach David Kotulski will take charge of the defense – with heavy input from Mason, of course.

2. Florida. Will Muschamp returns in 2014, but with a new offensive coordinator in tow. The task of rejuvenating the Gators' moribund attack falls to Roper, a David Cutcliffe disciple who embodies much of his mentor's offensive philosophies – like in how he prepares quarterbacks, for one, but also in how a streamlined system is designed to be easily digestible and smoothly implemented.

3. Georgia. The Bulldogs matched Florida's offensive upgrade with a change on defense, with former Florida State assistant Jeremy Pruitt stepping in for Todd Grantham. If an upgrade on paper – Grantham's units quickly sputtered after a solid start to his tenure – the onus is on Pruitt to find the right balance between the Bulldogs' personnel and his desire for multiplicity along each level of the defense.

2. Oregon (2013 record: 11-2). Why No. 2? Because the Ducks could have gone undefeated this season had quarterback Marcus Mariota not been slowed by a knee injury in November. Scott Olmos, USA TODAY Sports

3. Alabama (2013 record: 11-2). Why No. 3? Because a disappointing close to 2013 could be all the motivation a still-deep Alabama roster needs to reclaim the national championship. John Reed, USA TODAY Sports

4. Ohio State (2013 record: 12-2). Why No. 4? Because coach Urban Meyer and his staff have recruited at such a level as to offset a number of losses to graduation and the NFL. Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports

No. 5 Auburn (2013 record: 12-2). Why No. 5? Because if Auburn was this good in 2013, next season could be special. Consider this idea: Gus Malzahn's team will be even stronger on offense due to another offseason spent working in his system. Daniel Shirey, USA TODAY Sports

10. UCLA (2013 record: 10-3). Why No. 10? Two-way threat Myles Jack for one. But with QB Brett Hundley returning, the Bruins have a triggerman for an offense and team inches away from a major breakthrough. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports

21. Central Florida (2013 record: 12-1). Why No. 21? Because it's going to be tough to match this year's success without quarterback Blake Bortles, who opted for a potential spot among the top 10 in April's draft rather than returning for his senior season with the Knights Rob Foldy Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports